The Jews of Venezuela

Your Vox Tablet preview

Tablet’s Matthew Fishbane traveled to Caracas last summer to find out why, as he’d heard from friends in neighboring Colombia, Venezuelan Jews were leaving their country in droves. What he found was a lively, prosperous and highly organized community that was, indeed, shrinking rapidly, as a consequence of the economic policies and provocative, anti-Semitic rhetoric under President Hugo Chavez, both of which left them feeling deeply insecure. Fishbane’s in-depth profile of the community will be appearing on Tablet on Monday. In addition, Vox Tablet’s Sara Ivry spoke to Fishbane about the history, texture, and uncertain future of the Caracas Jewish community. You can hear the interview on Monday. In the meantime, here’s a quick preview, highlighting one of the many contradictory aspects of their lives.

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